Cover Story
California biologists fight to help condors stay alive–and thrive
Imagine, as you stand on a grassy plateau overlooking the thirsty San Joaquin Valley foothills, three school buses soaring through the air about 40 to 50 feet above your head. Now replace the bright yellow paint and several tons of metal with the cream-and-charcoal feathers and naked pink flesh of a California condor. Typically weighing…
The cruellest month: San Luis Obispo celebrates National Poetry Month with a variety of readings and events
View a list of National Poetry Month events in SLO. Editor’s note: Due to unforseen circumstances, Kevin Clark will not be appearing at the Steynberg Gallery on April 6. Instead, Patti Sullivan will join Darius Degher for that reading. April is National Poetry Month because, as T.S. Eliot opens his masterpiece of Modernism The…
Bad Radio
Well, Adam Hill has done it again. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. I sort of loosely know when, based on the established narrative. I’m guessing he had some assistance from Caren Ray, the FBI, Bruce Gibson, and Agenda 21. (Obviously, I can’t go into specifics because I wasn’t there, but that’s not…
What extinct animal would you bring back?
Monica Reyes server “A mammoth would be cool. Elephants are so majestic: Could you imagine one twice the size and fluffy?” Brittany Carnes restaurant manager “Patrick Swayze. I miss that guy.” Adam Weisner student “I’d bring back the Black Western Rhino because those guys just went out unnecessarily.” Bradley Ryan server “Pterodactyl, but solely for…
Willie Nelson & Family play April 8 at the PAC
Just three weeks before his 81st birthday, the incomparable Willie Nelson & Family will perform at the Performing Arts Center’s Cohan Center on Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. I’m not going to lie to you. Willie’s pretty old and doesn’t quite have the spark he used to, which is to say he’s only about…
In memoriam: Advocate for arts Ann Ream
One of the greatest champions of public art and of the arts community as a whole in San Luis Obispo County, Ann Ream, has died. The founding chair of ARTS Obispo’s Art in Public Places (APP) Coalition, she was instrumental in the installation of so many of the sculptures and other public art objects we…
Cotton candy and cowbell: Cal Skate Roller Derby at Santa Maria Fairpark
Truly, is there anything better than cotton candy? It’s not just the unapologetic frankness of spun sugar dyed bright pink or blue that I appreciate; it’s what the presence of cotton candy at an event suggests. Cotton candy says you can be yourself here, you don’t have to put on airs or pretensions, don’t have…
State Parks, APCD reach a tentative dune agreement
After years of wrangling in courtrooms and boardrooms, two major players in the ongoing Oceano Dunes air quality debate have taken a step toward a long-awaited resolution. On March 26, the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and California State Parks jointly signed a “consent decree” agreement and petitioned the state Court…
Clubs 4/3/14
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the…
SLO County releases its 2013 annual crop report
Totals are in for the gross revenue and production from agriculture in San Luis Obispo County. The San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures released their 2013 annual crop report on April 2. The report highlights production statistics and gross revenue from the expansive agricultural industry across the county. Total gross crop values…
A controversial ICE facility is approved in Santa Maria
On a narrow 3-2 vote, the Santa Maria City Council upheld a February Planning Commission decision to approve a building permit for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Santa Maria. The council’s March 27 special meeting to discuss four appeals against the Planning Commission’s February decision to grant a development permit for the…
A tale of two measures: Two very different initiatives are likely headed for the same ballot in Pismo Beach
One comes from city staff and has thousands of dollars behind it; the other is citizen created and volunteer driven. One is about generating revenue; the other is about preempting overdevelopment. One involves a $17,700 phone survey; the other involves supporters going door to door with pens and paper. Though the differences between the two…
Whole Foods buys New Frontiers Natural Marketplace in San Luis Obispo
Natural foods juggernaut Whole Foods Market Inc. will be coming to San Luis Obispo in the next few weeks, after owners announced March 31 that they’d bought four New Frontiers Natural Marketplace stores. The Austin-based nationwide chain will purchase the San Luis Obispo New Frontiers store in the Irish Hills Plaza on Los Osos Valley…
All jerky-ing aside
Ever catch yourself wandering the streets of downtown, fatigued, but not quite ready for an entire meal, so you find yourself wishing you had a package of Cattaneo Bros. jerky in your pocket, or is that just me? Sure there are plenty of places to grab a package of Cattaneo Bros. jerky, but why give…
Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Cuvee and Ancient Peaks 2011 Merlot Paso Robles
Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Cuvée A blend of Santa Maria Valley grown pinot noirs that all came from renowned vineyards, I can say frankly it’s one of the finest of its kind at this value price that I have tasted so far this year. I loved its friendly, fresh fruit…
CABs of Distinction celebrates Northern SLO County’s wine varieties
CABs of Distinction, one of the newest local wine events, has rapidly taken the title as the most prestigious Paso Robles celebration. The Paso Robles CAB Collective (PRCC), a group of vintners who produce outstanding cabernet sauvignons and Bordeaux blends, organized their inaugural CABs of Distinction event in as little as three months last year.…
The Southern Station in Santa Margarita serves hearty favorites with a twist
With dreams of bringing a breakfast of fried chicken and waffles to San Luis Obispo County, Carrie Collins and Ty Vinke opened doors to The Southern Station two months ago, at 22412 El Camino Real, just off the 101 in Santa Margarita. “We want to get known for them,” said Collins, whose family owns and…
Cougars & Mustangs
In case you haven’t noticed, rain has returned to the Central Coast and engulfed it beauteously. While I haven’t yet heard of any power outages, it has probably already happened somewhere, and will undoubtedly happen again soon. This is the perfect time, then, to discuss the Computer and Electrical Showcase, one of many major attractions…
The SLO County district attorney candidates got dirty in their first public debate
On March 26, Deputy District Attorney Dan Dow rose to his feet, looked out over a packed Board of Supervisors chambers, and spoke into the microphone. “Buenas noches,” he said, reading from a sheet of paper. “Soy Dan Dow.” As Dow introduced himself—first in Spanish and again in English—talked about his family, and described his…
The Diablo Canyon seismic shake-up
As the seismic hazard surrounding the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant comes into focus, the local ratepayer advocacy group, the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, is questioning the efficacy of Pacific Gas & Electric’s assessment. On March 31, the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility filed a protest with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that, if accepted,…
San Luis Obispo will initiate the application processes for the San Luis Ranch project
On April 1, the SLO City Council unanimously decided to initiate the application processes and issue requests for proposal of an Environmental Impact Report for the San Luis Ranch Project, more commonly known as the Dalidio Ranch Project due to the property owner, Ernie Dalido. If the project—which would include a mix of residential, commercial,…
SLO city councilmembers remain divided over a Measure Y renewal
The San Luis Obispo City Council didn’t heed Ken Hampian’s warning. Shortly before city councilmembers voted on whether to begin the process of sending Measure Y back to voters for possible renewal, Hampian, the former SLO city manager, said their decision could affect the perception of voters. “If you are tepid or divided about the…
We won’t support a McDonald’s in Los Osos–or anywhere
McDonald’s is currently being sued in three states, including California, for wage theft. Although each local franchise sets its own wages, complaints allege that company management software instructs restaurants to reduce staffing when the employee-to-sales ratio falls below a certain level, which has led to employees being taken off the clock and told to wait…
Let’s end Alzheimer’s
The 26th Advocacy Forum will be held by the Alzheimer’s Association in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 8, and 9. More than 800 advocates will be meeting with congressional offices on April 9. I will be one of those passionate advocates. A while after my husband for 55 years had passed away from Alzheimer’s, I…
This is what we call ‘transference’
I thought the March 20 article “Dune denouement?” was very thorough, unbiased, and, of course, expedient, but need to comment on longtime dunes advocate Kevin Rice’s statement, which absolutely makes solid any beginning psych book’s definition of, I believe it’s called, transference. The question is, he says, “How far should we modify, impact, or destroy…
Learn even more about history
There is, indeed, quite a bit more to the story that Andrea Rooks wrote about in her visit to Pearl Harbor (“There’s always more to the story,” March 27). (I’m glad New Times is receptive to this genre; I did a piece on the Ronald Reagan Museum once.) There’s another place you need to check…
Keep it clean, Avila
I am a resident of Avila and would like to address several issues to bring awareness to the general public. This is a message to all who visit Avila that needs serious attention, litter-ally. In the last several years, I have noticed the amount of trash on the beach and sidewalks. The majority of the…
